A number of aircraft cruised in formation at low altitude over the North Korean capital overnight, videos seen by NK News show, in a likely training event for an upcoming military parade that appears set for the Feb. 8 Korean People’s Army (KPA) founding anniversary.

Multiple jets with flares appeared flying over central Pyongyang in the direction of Kim Il Sung Square, with illuminated propellor planes also flying in formation the same direction later on. 

The aircraft appeared shortly after midnight, suggesting the Feb. 8 military parade will take place at night — as per the trend throughout North Korea’s COVID-19 era.

Earlier in the day, scores of masked citizens also assembled in Kim Il Sung Square, photos seen by NK News showed, apparently training for the forthcoming parade event.

• Read More: Pyongyang streets empty but civilians still training for military parade: Images

Multiple large structures are also visible in the photos in the square covered in black drapes, likely big screen TVs and protector light towers. A tall fence surrounds an area at the front of the square, which satellite imagery suggests is where a heated tent for the parade’s orchestra is being set up.

Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw parade dress rehearsals featuring missile launch vehicles and jet flyovers at Kim Il Sung Square in the days leading up to last April’s parade, meaning he could have been present for Friday night’s practices amid his current 33-day public absence.

Kim is likely to attend the Wednesday, Feb. 8 parade event and may make a speech including significant messages to domestic and international audiences about the country’s ongoing economic hardships, weapons development plans and foreign policy direction. 

Pyongyang could also show off new missiles or weapons it has yet to publicly test, such as reconnaissance drones or a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that Kim recently hinted is in the later stages of development. 

North Korea’s last four military parades have occurred at night, sometimes in the evening and other times at midnight.

The upcoming parade, likely to mark the Feb. 8 anniversary, could start as early as the previous evening, with details and photos released in state media late in the morning on the anniversary. State media could also release details on Feb. 9 if the parade takes place in the daytime or evening on the anniversary itself. 

Pyongyang previously celebrated the 70th KPA founding anniversary with a daytime military parade on Feb. 8, 2018. North Korea’s most recent military parade took place on April 25 last year, celebrating the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, a precursor to the KPA.

Edited by Bryan Betts. Updated on Feb. 5 at 6:10 p.m. KST to add a satellite image of civilian parade preparations Sunday.